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Sunshine week ends today.
Now is the time for media organizations, citizens, governments, and private sector organizations to come together to celebrate the importance of open government records and public records.
You’ve probably seen many references to Sunshine Week in the newspapers over the past week, starting with the March 9 article I wrote about the Aiken Standard’s Public Service and Investigative Journalism Fund.
In that article, we explained the importance of our fund and how it is used to offset costs in pursuing Freedom of Information Act requests and other costs associated with investigative reporting. .
On Monday, I received happy calls from men and women who read my article. They are interested in supporting the fund and have many questions about how the funds will be used and managed.
Simply put, there is a fund established through the Community Foundation of the Central Savannah River Region. It is well known as the annual gift exchange from the Masters Tournament, which is distributed to deserving groups throughout the region.
Our endowment is much smaller, but we can use that money to support FOIA requests and other related costs for this meaningful journalism.
I think all of our journalism is meaningful, but investigative and public service work takes it up a notch and is the type of digging that professional journalists can do. We strive to verify and fact-check information before publishing it.
If I’ve learned anything in the nearly five years I’ve served in this position, it’s that Aiken County residents care deeply about what’s happening with their tax dollars. This point was raised many times during the Pascalis project, which ultimately failed.
I don’t blame city leaders for wanting to improve the block around Hotel Aiken, but it seems like there were some mistakes in their approach. Our city government reporter Matthew Christian has been closely tracking some of the issues that led to the project’s failure.
These types of stories can take dozens of hours or even weeks to prepare, but are ultimately rewarding when you see them in print. But a common joke in newsrooms is that the latest crime story or the fallout of a busy conversation often overshadows the “big” story in terms of page views and attention online.
Over the past few years, we’ve looked into a little bit of everything around Aiken County, including the Wagner Fire Department, allegations involving a former North Augusta football coach, and a search for a bus along Interstate 20. Rest assured, we still have a lot of research work to do.
In addition to the people who called me about this fund, I also received inquiries from other people who were interested in donating to the fund. A quick note about where you can donate to public service and research funds.
If you’re online, go to aikenstandard.com/pledge and click on the “Details” tab.
Checks may also be sent to Central Savannah River Area Community Foundation, PO Box 31358, Augusta, Georgia 30903.
Please be sure to write “Aiken Standard Research Fund” in the memo section of your check.
Thank you for your support.
thank you for reading.
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